Historial society to move to old library in Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH — The Port City's historical society will soon have a new home, after agreeing to a three-year lease to take over the old public library.

Come spring, the Portsmouth Historical Society will make its home at the now vacant piece of property located at the top of downtown's northern tier.

Portsmouth Historical Society Vice President Richard Candee said the building will be used to house an orientation center that will connect all of the historic sites within the city and provide a centralized location for information on all of the cultural events going on around town.

Candee said that the three-year lease is essentially a "test drive" for the historical society, and there are certain benchmarks within the lease that include a requirement they raise $250,000 the first year of operation and then raise $1 million before the lease expires.

The lease was signed into agreement after the City Council voted on Dec. 17 to grant the society's request to occupy the historic landmark.

Plans for renovating the site are in their infant stages, and Candee said that the first thing they will do is hire a site analysis engineer to determine the long-term physical plan for the building.

Currently, Candee and other members of the historical society have been busy vacuuming the insides of the old library so that workers can access the building to begin restorative work.

As far as raising the money to complete all of the work that the building requires, Candee said they will depend on the generosity of locals in Portsmouth and beyond. Along with applying for grants, the society plans on rolling out a major membership campaign in the spring, along with several fundraising activities during this year and the next few years.

"It's an economic stimulus for the city," said Candee.

In addition to the restoration of the building, Candee said the society hopes to transform the site into a green building that will cut operating costs.

Candee also emphasized the importance of the centralized location in reference to all of the other downtown historical sites. Not only will the building provide a central hub for tourists and residents alike to gather historic information about the city, but it will also put all of the other historic sites within walking distance and lessen the use of vehicles, increasing use of public transportation.

"It will hopefully lower the carbon footprint and not clog up our small city streets," Candee said.

If all goes planned, Candee said the Portsmouth Historical Society should be moved in and ready for business by Memorial Day.

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